The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side
by VongolaFamilyWriter
Summary: Tsunayoshi Sawada hated everything about life. There was no one he could trust. All the adults around him mistreated him and tortured him, and he was all alone. However, little did he know that this would all change when he met a certain blonde called Giotto.
1. The Night that Started it All

**Attention!:**

**I have been away from for a long time because of school and the workload it kept pouring onto me. But I'm back now and I have a brand new story I'm working on! My first story 'Rules Were Meant to be Broken' has been discontinued because of the problems with the flash drive I saved the chapters on. So, for now, please enjoy this new story! :)**

* * *

_It was the night that started it all._

_The night that I met the man called 'Giotto.'_

_It was at that moment that I had found a reason for my existence._

_For that man I would give up everything, even my own life…_

Two chariots are seen pulling up in front of a large mansion. People are seen hustling and bustling about their business in fancy suits and dresses, some even carrying their children with them as they talked among themselves. The carriage doors open to reveal seven handsome men who wore clothes to emphasize their high status. People stared as they walked through the entrance hall, murmuring among themselves.

"Nay, Giotto, are you sure about this?" one of them asked the person to the front, who had blonde hair. He seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Yeah, this Family may be allies with us but they're still a bunch of no-good bastards." The one with a tattoo on his face snarled.

"Well, it's not really polite to refuse an invitation to a party. It'll make me look bad." Giotto replies to his subordinates, earning some groans and chuckles. _**That's**__ what you're worried about?_

They took their seats at a table and chatted among themselves, while making sure no one overheard their conversation. "So the Intaglio Family is having another useless party huh? I don't even know why the hell I'm here." the other blonde one hissed, obviously annoyed at their current situation.

"Now, now, Alaude…"

"Shut up Asari. I for one agree with him."

"G…"

"Nufufu… I actually agree with you for once, pinky."

"What was that, Daemon?"

"Jesus Christ, guys! Can you please just get along and stop fight –"

"Giotto!"

"Oh, sorry Knuckle…"

"Sigh… Lampo-sama is so bored. Can people ever find anything interesting to do in their spare time?"

"You guys… wait… what?" Giotto just turned his head in shock as he looked at the scene before him. His guardians all looked at each other in confusion before following their bosses stare. The cigarette G was smoking fell out of his mouth and Knuckle, Lampo and Asari all spat out the beverages they were drinking, while the others just gaped.

It was a young boy, probably around six or seven years old. He had spiky brown hair that stuck out on all sides and clothes that showed he was a noble. However, the boy had bandages on his face, and he looked like he had been beaten pretty badly, as it looked like it was painful for him to even walk. His eyes were covered by his bangs so it was difficult to see his face. "What the hell…" G muttered as he watched the boy. Slowly, the young child lifted up his face and several gasps came from the Vongola table. The boy wore a black eye-patch over his right eye while the other eye just looked dull and empty. It looked like it was filled with hopelessness, despair, anger and sadness. The boy made eye contact with Giotto for about 2 seconds before he walked limply back into the crowd of people and disappeared.

Giotto just looked at the place where the boy stood before he once again turned back to face his guardians. Images of the boy's painful and emotionless face made him want to gag, and he knew his friends felt the same way. Each one of them was in shock, though some of them showed it more than others.

"Hey, did you guys see that?" Asari asked in disbelief.

"Of course we saw it, you colossal idiot!"

"Who in the world would do that to a child?" Giotto asked, almost to himself.

"The person or _persons_ who did it obviously don't have God in their hearts."

"That is _if_ they have a heart to begin with." Alaude commented.

"Nufufu… I enjoy torturing people. But a child…" Daemon trailed off.

"So you're not heartless after all." Lampo said before quickly covering his mouth.

"Well, I **am** human. Or shall we test it…?" Lampo visibly paled at this.

"Guys, that's enough. Let's –"

"Everyone, welcome!" A booming voice sounded through the room and people stopped talking among themselves and looked up. The leader of the Intaglio Family, Oz Segnare, was standing on the stage watching down at the hundreds of people who attended the party. He had long red hair which was held in a ponytail by a thin purple bow. He had green eyes and wore some very fashionable clothes. "Thank you all for attending my party. My five guardians and I wish you have a nice time here tonight and I look forward to working with you in the future."

The guests all clapped in delight as Oz walked off the stage. Giotto and the others glanced at each other. "Well then everyone, let's enjoy the night while it lasts."

**~~~~ Hours Later ~~~~**

"Man, I'm beat." G whined as he and the others stepped out of the mansion.

"Hn. That's what you people get for drinking so much."

"Oh, please. You didn't drink a damn thing!"

"And look at what happens when you do." Alaude snarled as G groaned.

"Let's just hurry up and get home. I swear to Go – I mean, I swear I'm gonna pass out if I don't lie down soon." The blonde said, causing everyone to nod in agreement.

They each boarded their respective carriages and took off, with Giotto, G and Lampo in one, while Daemon, Knuckle and Asari sat in the other, with Alaude on the roof.

_~~~~ VFW ~~~~_

As the carriage bellowed down the dirt road, the driver noticed a small figure standing in the middle of road. He squinted his eyes to see what it was, and when he did, he abruptly pulled on the reigns of the horses to make them stop; startling the occupants inside, who immediately came out when it stopped. An angry G stormed up to the man and pulled him by the collar. "What's the big idea, asshole? You wanna kill us or somethin'? HUH?"

"G, I'm sure he had a good reason…" Giotto muttered, trying to calm his right-hand man down. Daemon and the others got out of their carriage and came to see what the commotion was about. "Hey you, why'd you do that? Those who disrupt my sleep must be punished." Alaude said, his fingers itching towards his handcuffs. "W-Well, t-t-that boy a-appeared out of nowhere and –"

Everyone's heads turned to see what the man was pointing at, and they all did a double take. "That's… the boy that…" Giotto couldn't even finish his sentence.

The boy was down on all fours and was panting heavily. His sweat made his clothes – which were now tattered – stick to his skin as blood soaked through them. He looked up at the men with the same blank expression as he had before, his eyes scanning every one of them. Asari, who couldn't stand it anymore walked up to the boy. "Hey, kid, what are you doing here all by yourself?" he said as he knelt down to the boy's level and reached a hand out to him, "where are your pare –"

The boy immediately gasped and scrambled back from Asari, who looked shocked. "What's the matter?" He said as he walked towards the boy, who only stepped back further. "Asari, I think you should step back." Giotto said in a concerned voice. "Yes, it seems that the boy doesn't want to be touched." Knuckle added.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. It looks like he has been physically abused." Alaude stated matter-of-factly.

Giotto's frown deepened as he walked over the boy who looked at him defensively. "Don't worry we won't hurt you, okay? Why aren't you with your parents?"

The boy just remained silent and looked away. Giotto tried to reach out to him but pulled back when the boy tensed. "Why don't you come and stay with us then? I promise we won't hurt you." Giotto said in the most soothing voice he could make. The boy looked into Giotto's eyes before nodding slowly. He didn't really understand it, but he felt he could trust this person. The smile this person gave him was the kindest expression he had ever received from another human being. And even if this person was tricking him, at least he'll have a quick death, because these people didn't look like a bunch of weaklings. The other guardians had mixed reactions. G, Lampo and Alaude both had a 'are you out of your mind?' look on their faces, while Asari and Knuckle smiled and lastly was Daemon, who was obviously enjoying this. The others didn't even want to know what was going on in that sick bastard's mind. However, the angry ones kept their emotions in check. After all, the Vongola was made to help people. There was no way they could ignore this helpless boy. "Fine, I'll go along with it. But he's your responsibility, since this was all your idea." G said as he walked back to the carriage. Everyone else nodded in approval and turned, walking away.

Giotto couldn't help but sweat-drop at his friend's reactions. Those people always took the easy way out. "Can you stand?" he asked the boy, who only nodded. He slowly got up to his feet and followed Giotto back to the carriage. "Well then," he said as he faced the boy, "let's go."

The boy stood wide-eyed for a second. What was that warm feeling he felt in his chest? However, he just shook it off and followed the man to wherever he was taking him.

* * *

After arriving back at the Vongola Mansion, everyone gathered inside the infirmary sitting or standing around the room as they watched Knuckle heal the boy. Giotto was right beside him, his brows furrowed. Some of the boy's body was already bandaged, so Knuckle had to remove them. When he removed a bandage from the boy's hand everyone looked in shock to see that he had scars that went right around his arm. His left arm was the same way, as was his abdomen. The only place that did have scars was his feet and face, where he still had fresh injuries. The boy just laid there with his eyes shut in pain, jaw clenched. "Well," Knuckle said as he got up, "all of the wounds on his feet and face have been healed; though it's a pity that he has been scarred to such a degree."

The heavy weight in the room had been lifted and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "So he'll be okay then?" Giotto asked, relieved. "Yes, that's right."

"Wait a minute, Giotto, doesn't that child look just like you?" Lampo asked incredulously. "What are you talking about, Lam…po…? What? You're right! How could I not notice?" Suddenly, Giotto felt a change in the environment and looked back to see his guardians staring at him furiously.

"HEY! Don't get the wrong idea! I haven't even dated a woman before!" All of them seemed to realise this fact. However, they again looked at him with another emotion: pity. "Oh, shut up!"

"HEY YOU GUYS, CAN YOU EXTREMELY KEEP THE SOUND DOWN? YOU'RE DISTRURBING THIS KID TO THE EXTREME!" Knuckle yelled, making everyone flinch. "And what the hell do you think you're doing right now?" they all yelled back in unison.

A groan was heard and they turned to the bed to see the boy covering his ears in displeasure. "Sorry about that. They just get a little… um… carried away sometimes." Giotto laughed nervously and turned around, giving his friends his signature 'shut ur traps or else…' look. They all gulped. (A/N: Yes, Alaude included)

"Now, can you please tell us how you ended up in this condition?" Knuckle requested. They all thought the child wasn't going to answer. However, he did.

"I ran away from home. The reason I got these injuries was because I ran through a patch of thorns, which injured my feet and I tripped and fell, thus the scratches on my face." They all listened as the child spoke. His voice sounded so adorable; though none of them would admit it.

"Who gave you those scars boy?" Daemon asked. "I'd rather not answer that question, sir." No matter how much they begged, the boy didn't utter a single word. Giving up, everyone retired for the night. When G, the last one to leave the room, closed the door, Giotto turned to the tired child.

"I'll come see you first thing in the morning okay?" When no reply came, he began to walk to the door but turned when he heard movement. "T-Thank you, sir." Giotto looked at the boy, and noticed that the gloomy look in his eyes had vanished and was replaced with something else that he couldn't quite put his fingers on. A smile slowly formed on his lips. "You're welcome. Good night." he said as he closed the door.


	2. Good Beginnings

_**Hi, everyone! Sorry for the long wait! So, without further ado, I present unto you... chapter 2!**_

* * *

It was yesterday that that had happened. And since then, the child still wasn't really talking to anyone, just saying a few words and sentences, nothing more.

Giotto sighed. He really hoped the kid would feel better soon. _He hasn't even come out of his room since then,_ Giotto thought, flipping his pen in his hand. _Though, it's understandable. It seems like he's been through a lot…_

"Giotto!" G, his storm guardian and right-hand man, stormed into his office. "What is it, G? I'm doing my paperwork like you asked." Primo inwardly groaned at this.

"It's not about that! It's the kid, he's missing!"

Giotto nearly fell out of his chair. "What?! How can he be missing?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?! I'm going to go look for him!" G flew out the door. "I'm going to look too!" Giotto called out to his guardian. However, he wasn't sure that he was heard. Not that it mattered though. He had to find the child, at all costs!

~~~ VFW ~~~

The yells of G, Asari, Knuckle and Giotto echoed throughout the mansion. Since Lampo said he didn't care where the brat went, Daemon said he could care less and Alaude said he had better things to do than look for a child. _Where could he have gone? He should still be somewhere out here._ "Hey! Kid are you out here?!" Giotto was afraid. _What if something happened to him?_ A million scenarios flashed through his mind but he shook it off.

_No, no! I mustn't think like that! He must be somewhere around here!_

The next place he had to look in was the kitchen. There's no way he could be in here anyway. Their head chef, Alanzo, would have obviously… noticed… him… say what?! Giotto stared wide eyed at what he was witnessing. It was Alanzo. He was unconscious on the floor with his spirit coming out of his mouth. "Oh my gosh! Al, are you all right?!" Giotto quickly forced the spirit back down the man's throat and shook him until he woke up. "Oh my heavens! Primo!" he fumbled to stand up straight. "Al, what happened?"

"Um, well… the only thing I remember was seeing the face of a child… then everything went black."

_Oh God…_

"Did you see where he went?" he asked, but Al just shook his head, "No, I don't remember anything after that."

"I see. You can go and take a rest, Al. I'll take care of this." Al nodded numbly before heading out the door. _Sigh, what am I to do? This is getting way out of ha –_

The blonde was interrupted when he heard a sneeze. He turned around and scampered to one of the cupboards, opening it with a bang. The child inside flinched and backed further into the tiny space, as if hoping he would go through the wall. "What are you doing here? _And why did you knock the chef out?_" Giotto asked sternly. Was it just him, or did he sound like a parent just now?

The boy had no choice to answer because of the stern tone in the blonde's voice. "I-It was because he w-wanted to send me b-back to my room…" the child stammered nervously, his one eye avoiding contact, "… so I kicked him in the nuts and whacked him with this frying pan." he explained, lifting the pan for emphasis.

Giotto sweat-dropped and held his face in his hands. _Dear Lord, what is this world coming to?_

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My… _parents_…" he murmured it so low it was barely a whisper. A dark cloud seemed to settle over the room. "Here, give me your hand," he held out one hand to the boy, "I'll take you back to your room."

The brunette glanced at Giotto through his left eye. "And why should I?" the boy spat, his voice seeping with venom, "It's obvious you guys don't want to have me around. No one ever did…" The child curled himself into a small ball. Giotto felt his heart sink. Poor kid.

"Of course we want you around! If we didn't then why would we pick you up from off the streets? We could have just left you there!"

"I'm not so sure… That man with the melon hairstyle and the other blonde one. They would obviously not want to have me around." Tsuna muttered, his voice still cold. "No of course they do! They just don't show that they're concerned about anything; they think it'll show that they're weak."

The boy's eyes seemed to soften in relief. "Oh and since you'll be staying here, I guess I'll tell you about them."

"Who?" Tsuna didn't want to admit it, but talking with this man made him happy. "My friends. The people who were with me yesterday when we found you."

"Oh…"

"The red-head, remember him?" Tsuna nodded. "His name is G. He's been my friend for as long as I can remember. He's loud, brash, hot-headed and sometimes over-protective. But he's a good person at heart and I don't think you'll get on his bad side. That is if you steal his cigars. He always gets mad when Lampo does it."

Tsuna made a mental note of that and he grinned a little. "Hey, don't get any funny ideas!" Giotto warned, causing the child to stifle a snicker. _Wait, did I really just do that?! _

"Next is Asari, the one with the blue and white outfit. He's the nicest most **normal** person here. I think you'll get along the easiest with him." The child raised an eye-brow at the way the man said normal. "After that is Knuckle, he's the one that healed your injuries. He's the loudest of us. He's a priest, but he also does boxing now and then. He often says the word 'EXTREME!' a lot."

The brunette inwardly groaned at this. How could he forget? That man nearly made him go deaf the last time.

"After him is Lampo. He's a bit annoying (A/N: A bit?! Lmfao) and likes sweets a lot. He's lazy but is useful when he wants to be." Tsuna nodded.

"Next is Daemon. He's a bit of a creep and he likes to annoy people. But deep inside he's a kind and caring person. Just don't comment on his hair being a melon. I remember the time someone called it that and… well… let's just say it didn't go well."

"Lastly is Alaude, the blonde one. He's a bit aggressive and takes his job in disciplining people very seriously. So don't do anything wrong. Trust me. You wouldn't like to see him when he's angry." Giotto shivered as he reminisced on that horrible day. "I-I'll take your word for it. W-Wait, what about you? Your name is Giotto right?"

Primo sat there shocked for a second. _He… remembered?_ "You remembered?" Giotto asked, still surprised and impressed. "W-Well, yeah…" How could he forget? He was the one who suggested they take him in. He treated him kinder than anyone else had before. He gave him a warm bed to sleep on, besides not knowing him for even an hour. So, how could he –

"Well, I can't really describe myself to you, since people's opinions of me might be varied, but…" the blonde thought for a second. "Let's just say I'm a friendly guy that just loves helping people!" he finished, smiling sheepishly. _Are you serious Giotto?! That's all you have to say? Ah! I'm such an idiot._

Tsuna just sat there for a second. _This man… he's different. _Different from all the other adults that had surrounded him and different in the way he treated him. Other's just took advantage of him and belittled him, but he only welcomed him with kindness and love. _I can… trust this man…?_ It had probably been the first time that the brunette had said the word 'trust' and believed it. "Now are you ready to go?" said the blonde, once again holding out his hand.

However, instead of taking the hand, the boy threw himself at Giotto and wrapped his small arms around the blonde's neck. Giotto got up and held the boy in his strong arms. The brunette felt the warmth the man emitted and snuggled closer into it, feeling his throat begin to contract. "H-Hey, are you okay?" Giotto asked when he felt something wet touch his shirt. _Did I do something wrong?_

_(A/N: Primo is a naïve one, wouldn't you agree?)_

"C-Can I really… trust you…?" the brunette asked as tears fell from his eye. "Of course you can! As long as you're under my care, nothing bad will happen to you. Nothing." The boy's sobs quickly quieted down. "T-Thanks…"

Giotto placed the frying-pan down and carried the boy out of the kitchen. He ran into G on his way to the brunette's bedroom. "It seems that you've found him." G commented, slightly impressed. "Yeah, he was in the kitchen. Hey G. Did you know he kicked Al _down there_ and knocked him out with a frying-pan?!"

G didn't look shocked, he looked impressed. "Oh-ho? Looks like this quiet brat's got spunk." he smirked and pulled out a cigar.

"G, that's not something to be impressed about!" he thought for a second. "Okay, maybe it is. But still!"

G just grinned as he pushed the cigar in his mouth and lit it. "Hey, no smoking around children!" Giotto snarled as he backed away. "Fine, fine." G went to a nearby window and let out a puff of smoke.

"Oh and how did you manage to get that child to trust you?" G asked curiously. Giotto was about to explain when he felt the brunette's right hand drop from his neck. "Huh? Hey are you… oh." The boy's head rested on the crook of his neck, his eyes closed and his mouth forming a little 'o'. He was fast asleep. "Ah, he looks so cute~!"

G sweat-dropped. "I hate to admit it, but he is adorable."

"I'll take him back to his room. See you later." G said farewell to Giotto before walking off. The blonde placed the brunette on his bed and put a blanket over him.

~~ x ~~

**Tsuna POV**

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.

.

.

_Deep in the willow,  
a lonely figure in requiem,  
sings for the sadness of the world,  
in a voice heard by none._

_Deep in the crevice,  
of the accursed souls of the dead,  
darkness envelops all,  
and light is nowhere to be seen._

_But even though darkness plagues this world,  
I will rise from the ashes anew…_

I listen to my father's beautiful voice with my eyes closed. I allow its slow rhythm to envelop me as I sway my head from side to side. The first time I heard him sing, his voice was so beautiful, it hurt. But now that I'm used to it, it awakens emotions in me that I have never even felt before. Sadness was one of them. I had never experienced sadness in my life, but I have certainly heard of it. Father says that sadness is something that eats away at the very core of your soul, and that if it is not contained, can spread like a wild-fire. I heard it destroys people. But I find myself being unable to believe that an emotion can ruin a person. Probably because the only feelings I've ever had were good ones.

"Hey, Dad? Can I ask you something?" I ask as he finishes singing. "Mmm?"

"How did you feel when mom…. you know…." Even though I hadn't met her, since she died soon after I was born, I still find myself unable to say to 'D' word. I feel Father's long, slender fingers slide around me. "It was the saddest day of my life, but I can't bring myself to forget it." I don't understand how he can be so strong. I guess it comes from being an adult or something. "Your mother was a very beautiful and respected person, and everyone loved her. Hahaha. I even remember the time when she proposed to me. I was so shocked I passed out."

I laughed out loud at this. This was the first time he had told me this. "Hahahaha! Are – Are you serious. Mom proposed to you and you…. fainted?!" I was laughing so hard and for so long that my throat began to hurt and I began to snort. "H-Hey! That's not funny! Jeez…" I could see the heavy blush on his pale cheeks, so I willed myself to stop. The grin, however, was still plastered on my lips.

"Well, there's no use worrying over something like that! Your mother would want us to be happy!" My father slightly nudged at me to get up, since I was currently sitting on his lap. We were sitting under a large tree in our backyard. My Family was very rich, and my grandfather was the head of the house, along with his wife by his side, who was waaayyyy younger than he was. My dad was the next heir, so when grandpa retires, he's going to take over as Head of the House.

"I still wish I could see her though…" I mutter as something pangs my heart. Is this what they call… sadness?

"Well that's obvious! After all, you took almost all her traits!" I was about to reply when I saw that same wide smile dad makes anytime he was aware of something and I wasn't. Then it hit me. "Father, what are you saying? I do_ not_ look like a girl!"

My father laughed; a low, rhythmic, sweet-sounding thing from inside his throat that made people flock to him like flies. Especially women. I would always get jealous when they started to come around him. I crossed my hands and looked away, trying to hide my rosy cheeks. I yelped as I was lifted off the ground, and before I knew it, I was in his arms. "Don't worry. Whether you look like a girl or not doesn't matter to me. I would love you either way." He said in that soothing voice, that somehow always brought tears to my eyes. Today was no exception. "H-Hey! Don't cry! You'll make me want to cry too!"

I snuggled closer and into the warmth of his chest. I blocked out everything around me. I loved my Father more than anything. Nothing else mattered as long as I was with him.

_Nothing… nothing… nothing… nothing… nothing… nothing….. _

**Normal POV**

_**The voice of the little boy faded into oblivion.**_

The brunette's eye tightened and he squirmed as the light from outside fell over his face. _Huh? How long have I been sleeping?_ He sat up on his bed. "That dream guess now…who was that person? Why did I call him that when he and my father sound or act nothing alike…?" He was interrupted from his train of thoughts by the sound of his bedroom door opening. It was Giotto.

"Oh, you're awake! Did you have a good rest?" he asked, smiling cheerfully. "Y-Yeah…" was the child's weak reply. "Come on! There's no need to be shy." Giotto went over to the bed and sat down beside the brunette. "Can you tell me your name?" The child flinched but kept silent, unconsciously touching his eye-patch. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. You can tell me whenever you're ready."

"S-Sorry…" He felt bad. Giotto was so kind to him, and he couldn't even tell him his name... "Don't worry about it. You fell asleep about 2 hours ago. Lunch will be ready in about an hour. Do you want anything in the meantime?"

The brunette thought for a second. He looked up at Giotto, a blush appearing on his face. "I'm thirsty."

"You're thirsty? What do you want to drink?"

"It doesn't matter…" Ah! _Why am I acting so shy?_

Giotto just laughed, very amused. "Come with me to the kitchen. It'll also give you an opening to apologize to Al for knocking him out." Giotto stated. The brunette just sat there in a trance as the blonde got up. Something about Giotto's touch felt… familiar. It erased all of his pains and fears, which were there since the moment he was born. It made him feel… whole. Ever since the torture had started, a part of him had died on the inside. But if he were to stay by this man's side… could the part that had died become whole again? "Are you coming?" he heard Giotto's voice ask. He nodded and followed Giotto to the kitchen.

~~~ VFW ~~~

When Giotto and the boy arrived at the kitchen, all the cooks looked up and stared at them. "Um, where is Alanzo? I'd like to see him please." One of the chefs, who Giotto identified as Niccolò ran up to him. His short, silky light blue hair flew in all directions as he ran, and his green eyes were gleaming with excitement. "Hello, boss!" he saluted, making Giotto sweat drop. Niccolò was a bit of a klutz and would sometimes do careless things that would always affect the kitchen. Tripping over his own feet, falling down stairs, breaking plates/cups etc. However, he was one of the best chefs in his entire staff. His skills were even enough to rival that of Al's, the head chef. _And,_ Giotto thought, _if Nick is here then…_

Primo wasn't even able to finish his sentence as a young male about 20 years old walked forward to stand beside Niccolò. "Hey, primo."

… _his twin brother can't be too far behind._

They had the same light complexion and their faces were the same shape, as were their eyes. However there were a few things that set them apart. Unlike his brother Niccolò, Niko had short, choppy black hair and brown eyes. Their personalities weren't exact, that's for sure, but there were still some similarities.

Niko wasn't a klutz like his brother, but he was the more mischievous of the two. It made it even worse because he seemed so innocent, which in reality was the exact opposite. "Hi, guys. Have you seen Al? I want to talk to him about something."

"Yes, he's in the back." Niko replied calmly.

"Can you go get him for me please?"

"No problemo! I'll be right back!" Niccolò answered as he ran to the back. Niko turned around, noticing the small boy who was now hiding behind Giotto. "Primo, who is that?" he pointed, curious. "Oh, this was the boy we rescued yesterday. He's a little shy though."

"Why hello, it's nice to meet you." Niko held out a hand. However, the brunette continued to hide behind Giotto, his eyebrows furrowed. "Sorry, he's not good with strangers."

"No, no I understand. Being in a new place and all…"

It was at that moment that Niccolò came out, Al in tow. "Ah, there he is. Thanks Nick. You can go back to work now. Oh and while you're at it, can you get me two glasses of lemonade?"

"Aye, sir!" The twins saluted before they walked away. _It still amazes me how they can say the same things at the same time…_

"Did you need something, Primo?" Al asked, kind of annoyed to be interrupted from his work. "Yes, this young one here wanted to apologize for what he did earlier. He looked down and noticed that the same 'young one' was giving him a 'who said I was going to apologize?' look. "Don't give me that. Apologize, now." he ordered sternly. The brunette's eye twitched and he pouted, but he listened anyway. Stepping out from behind Giotto, the boy said: "I'm sorry."

"Wrong. Say it like you mean it."

The boy grumbled, but listened anyway. He bowed. "I am _terribly sorry_ for harming you sir. Can you please forgive me?" Giotto's eye twitched. That was sarcasm. Mmm-hmm. No doubt about it.

Luckily, Al didn't notice. He probably just wanted to get back to work anyway. "No problemo kid." he turned to the blonde. "Can I go back to work now?"

Giotto sighed. "Of c – CRASH!" He was interrupted by the sound of about 20 silverware breaking to pieces against the tiled floor. "AL! Nick broke the silverware again!" Niko's voice was heard inside the kitchen. All the workers cringed. Oh, they knew what was coming all right. As a sixth-sense, Giotto quickly placed his hands over the boy's ears.

"GODDAMMIT NICK! I JUST BOUGHT THOSE FRIGGIN' SILVERWARE A WEEK AGO! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS INTO NEXT SUNDAY, YOU HEAR MEEE?!" Al thrashed and yelled some more profanities. Luckily, Niko brought the lemonade while Al was in his rage mode. "Sorry about that, Primo."

_You don't look sorry_, Giotto thought. You could just tell by the way Niko was grinning. He was sooo enjoying this. "You broke the plates on purpose and blamed it on your brother, didn't you." Since Nick was known as the clumsy one, Niko would never be considered a suspect. "Hehehe… yes. That's what he gets for stealing my chocolate." He gave Giotto the glasses and slipped back into the chaos, laughing all the way. The blonde looked down, only to find the young child looking at Al with complete awe and amazement at all the words he had never heard before. "We're leaving."

~~~ VFW ~~~

**Tsuna's POV**

I swung my feet idly as I stare at the glass of this thing called lemonade on a bench in the garden. Giotto sat next to me. He was gulping his drink down so fast that he choked. I giggled a bit before I could stop myself.

"That's not funny!" I heard him yell, embarrassed. I sipped some of the lemonade and my eyes widened. It was so delicious! I gulped mine's down as well, causing me to choke also. The man next to me started laughing.

I threw my remaining lemonade on him in retaliation. "Ha! Take that!"

"Why you… then take this!" Giotto pulled me up on his lap and began to tickle me like crazy. "The ultimate divine punishment: The Tickler!"

"Psh… HAHAHAHA! W-What kind – hahahaha! - of punishment is that…! HAHAHAHA! Stop i – HAHAHA!" When he stopped I had tears in my eyes, and I was still giggling. Giotto pulled me closer to him, and just held me there. I'd never felt so loved before. Experiencing this new feeling made me smile. "See? Doesn't it feel good to have fun?"

All I could do was nod. "Let's go inside shall we?"

"Mmm-hmm! Let's do that!" This was probably the first time I had interacted with someone so willingly. I was… happy. I let my hand slide up to my black eye patch_. The people who gave me this injury… I hope I never see them again._

**Things at the mansion were about to change from then on…**

~~ x ~~

**Normal POV**

At 7 o'clock the next morning, Giotto abruptly went to see the boy. He opened the door slightly and peered inside. _Huh? Why isn't he in here?_

He then saw some movement to his left and went to investigate. It had come from the bathroom. He walked in and saw the boy looking at the tub quite curiously. He began poking it and touching it rather cautiously, as if it could bite him at any moment. He blinked once, twice and three times. He then got up and put his tiny fingers on his chin, like a detective trying to solve a mystery_. What is this weird… thing? And why is it in here? What's this place called anyway?_

Giotto couldn't help but grin at the boy's expression. It just made him look even cuter. Giotto broke the silence by clearing his throat. The young child quickly turned around on his heels, and stared at the man in white with a shocked and comical expression on his face. _When did he…?!_

"What are you doing in here, investigating a tub like that?" Giotto asked, obviously amused. A blush appeared on his face as he looked at the 'thing' one more time. Then, in a voice that wasn't even a whisper, he said: _"Is that what a tub looks like?"_

Giotto blinked a few times to register what he'd just heard. "Y-Yeah…" The boy's voice sounded so cute, he should speak more often. "Haven't you ever used one before?" he said, astonished. "W-Well, when I bathed, I just had a bucket of water splashed on me…" the boy said, pushing his two index fingers together cutely, "I have heard about bathrooms, but I haven't actually been in one. This one's so big."

Giotto couldn't help but feel bad for the boy. He hadn't been in a bathroom before? Not even once? He decided to lighten the mood a little. "Well boy! Today is your lucky day!" he declared, "Starting today, you are going to bathe every day, starting in the mornings!"

The child's eyes obviously brightened at this. "Really?" he asked, eyes sparkling. "Yep, that's right! Now go on, take off those clothes." Giotto gestured to the boy's attire, which hadn't changed since he arrived. "O-Okay…"

"I'll go and look for a change of clothes in the meantime," he said as he walked out to find some clothes. By the time Giotto returned, the boy was fully naked. He also noticed that the child was holding his crotch with a shade of pink on his pale cheeks. "What's wrong?" he asked, "I won't do anything to you. And we're both males aren't we?"

The boy seemed relieved, and slowly straightened himself. "Now let me show you how this works," he said as he made his way to the tub. "Now see here, this is what they call a tap. When you screw it out like so…" Giotto explained as he turned it, allowing water to flow out of the tip, "water comes out to fill the tub. See?" Giotto explained as he pointed. "Wooowww! Cool!" the boy squealed, jumping up and down, looking amazed, "It's like magic!"

Giotto laughed at the boy's naivety. It was good to see that he was getting used to him. He then stood up; causing the boy gave him a questioning glance. "Now let's see…" he said as he searched through the cabinets. "Ah, here it is!" Giotto said as he returned to the tub, pouring in some sort of blue liquid in the water. "What's that?" the boy asked in confusion. "Just watch."

The water soon began to form bubbles and Giotto stirred the water with his hand for a bit. "This makes it even more exciting, don't you think?"

"Y-Yeah! So cool!"

"Oh, and I haven't even asked you your name yet!"

"I-It's T-Tsunayoshi. But I prefer T-Tsuna…"

"Don't you have a last name?"

"N-No…"

Giotto could tell that the boy was lying, but thought he had a good reason for not telling him. "Well then Tsuna, you have to take off the bandages you wrapped yourself with." Tsuna's smile immediately turned into a frown. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, since all of your injuries have healed, there's no need for you to wear them."

"I-I know that but… The only reason I wear them is because I don't want to see the scars across my body…"

Giotto felt a pang of sadness over his heart. "I promise I'll put some bandages back on when you're done bathing ok?"

"Thanks. But can I keep the eye patch on?" he said, pointing up to the right side of his face.

"If you want to, but it'll get wet."

"I don't mind."

Giotto picked Tsuna up and placed him in the tub. "So warm! I usually had to bathe in cold water." Tsuna said as he playfully splashed the water with his hands. "H-Hey!" Giotto said, narrowly avoiding getting soaked. The brunette stifled a laugh.

Reaching out and grabbing a sponge, he began to rub Tsuna's skin clean. "Hahaha! That tickles!" Tsuna exclaimed as Giotto rubbed his sides. Giotto chuckled as he finished scrubbing Tsuna's skin and reached for a bottle of shampoo. "Now close your eyes."

Tsuna did as he was told. Giotto then squirted the shampoo on his head, massaging it softly. "Ahhhh…" Tsuna wanted this moment to last forever. The warmth and kindness that this person gave him made him feel great inside. He hadn't felt like this before.

After Giotto finished bathing Tsuna, he pulled him out of the tub and dried him off. "We should do that again!"

"Hahaha, whenever you want."

"Then how about every hour?!"

"_Ehhhh?!_ Now _that's_ impossible."

They both laughed. Once he finished drying Tsuna off, Giotto put on new bandages and a change of clothes on him. "Now we're ready to go downstairs to get breakfast. Follow me." he said as he walked out of the room, Tsuna following closely behind. The maids and other servants couldn't help but stare at Giotto and his look-alike. Had the boss finally found a woman? "Don't get the wrong ideas, you guys. This child isn't related to me what-so-ever."

All the servants hung their heads. _Yep, thought so. Shouldn't have gotten my hopes up._

Tsuna, obviously nervous about all the stares he was getting, ran up to Giotto's side and held his hand. Giotto looked surprised at this, but accepted it with a smile.

They made their way down to the dining room and were greeted by the guardians in different ways.

"Morning, Primo."

"Kufufu…"

"Yawn…"

"Ohio Gozimas."

"Extreme!"

"…"

"Morning," he said as he took his seat.

The young child just sat next to Giotto, staring at his lap and playing with his fingers. Everyone surveyed the child with scrutiny but made no comment. Dinner was pretty much silent after that, with everyone immersed in their own thoughts.

After breakfast, Giotto told his guardians to make it back to the meeting room by 11 o'clock, before lunch.

Giotto knelt down to face the child, who had been following closely behind him. "I'm going to go have a short meeting with my friends. I'll be back in about an hour. If you want you can stay in your room until then, but if you want to venture outside you should at least have someone go with you, okay?" Tsuna was frightened. He didn't want to be alone in this strange place. Giotto, picking up on Tsuna's feelings, gave the boy a pat on his head. "Don't worry. I'll be back in no time."

All Tsuna could do was nod as Giotto waved and disappeared down the hall.

_~~~~ VFW ~~~~_

"So, what are we going to do about this child, Giotto?" G asked as he took his seat in the meeting room. "Well, I don't know… We obviously can't adopt him, since we don't have any idea where his real parents are. Though I have no idea why his parents would allow him to have such injuries..." After Giotto finished his last sentence the room turned silent.

"That's true. But what if the parents are the cause of the child's injuries?" Asari commented, making all heads in the room turn towards him.

"Could that be why the boy wasn't EXTREMELY with them?"

"Hmmm… it is possible that he ran away from home because of all the abuse he was getting."

"Isn't it obvious?"

"You obviously saw the boy's condition." Alaude stated, "He probably couldn't take it anymore and ran away when he got the chance."

"But who in their right mind would do that to a child? Especially a parent!?"

"Are you so sure? He probably just got bullied and ran away."

Everyone looked at Lampo like he was retarded. "Then why the hell wouldn't he just tell his parents and have them take care of it?! They are rich after all! They could easily take care of a bunch of bullies!"

"Oh right…"

"In any case, I think Tsuna should stay here. It'll be safer for him, especially if it's the parents themselves that are behind it!"

Everyone turned in confusion at their boss. Tsuna? "Oh right, I didn't tell you. He told me his name was Tsunayoshi, though he prefers Tsuna."

"Wow that's Japanese! So does that mean—"

"I am TERRIBLY sorry to ruin your moment of happiness but can we please not go off-topic?" G said, rather _calmly_. Asari just pouted.

"Why don't we just take him to the orphanage?" Lampo offered.

"Are you out of your mind? His parents could find him in an instant that way." G spat.

"For torturing an innocent child, I'll arrest the perpetrators without delay."

"Fine then, let's have a vote: All in favour of keeping the boy!"

Giotto, Asari, G, Alaude and Knuckle all raised their hands. "Huh?! Why?" Lampo asked in an exasperated tone.

"Well, think about it. We obviously can't let an innocent child go back to abusive parents!"

"I think so too."

"Sadly, I agree."

"Though I don't like the idea of adding another person to the crowd, it must be done." Everyone sweat-dropped at this. _That's Alaude alright…_

"I agree, to the EXTREME!"

"But why do you not agree?" Giotto asked.

"Kufufu… though having another _toy_ – I mean _person_ might be interesting…" Everyone – minus Alaude – shivered at this, "I really don't see how this will benefit the Family in the long run. Besides we aren't entirely sure that the parents are the cause of this."

"I agree. I hate brats."

"Aw, come on guys! There was obviously some reason why this boy appeared in front of us TO THE EXTREME. It must be God's will!"

"There you go again with that crap…"

"WHAT WAS THAT DAEMON?!"

"Now, now…"

"I expected this from Lampo, but not you. What about the child Daemon? Do you not care what happens to him?!" Giotto asked angrily.

"As long as it doesn't benefit the Family, it doesn't concern me."

"You heartless bastard!" G yelled.

"Sigh… but the majority of the vote goes to him staying. So then, it's decided. Tsuna will be staying with us until we figure out for sure what caused him to be in that condition. Understood?"

They all nodded – except for Daemon and Lampo, who looked pissed – and walked out of the room, going to do whatever the hell they wanted to.

_~~~~ VFW ~~~~_

That night, a thunderstorm was wreaking havoc on Sicily. The trees swayed from side to side in rhythmic movements, along with the howling of the wind and the hoar of the thunder, which sounded through the sky every 2 – 3 minutes. Giotto found this extremely annoying, since he couldn't focus on his paperwork. When he couldn't handle it anymore, he slammed the paper he was reading on the desk and cursed the bad weather. As if to respond to this, a lightning bolt flashed close to his window. Giotto yelped and shut his eyes, blocking his face with his hand. "Dammit…" he said as he stormed out of his office and changed his clothes, preparing for bed.

He arrived in his room and turned off the lights before collapsing on his king-sized bed. As soon as he made himself comfortable under the golden covers, he closed his eyes only to open them again when he heard the door creak open. "Huh?"

Giotto sat up and turned on his bedside lamp. "U-Umm…"

Giotto's eyes widened at the familiar babyish voice and looked towards the door to see Tsuna holding onto his door; as if he was going to faint if he didn't do so. "I-I can't sleep…" he said, a blush appearing on his face. Giotto smiled at this. "Then what are you waiting for? Come here." he said as he held out his two hands from where he sat. "Are you sure about–"

Tsuna was interrupted when a bright bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, following quickly by the loud roar of thunder. "HIIEEE!" Tsuna cried as he flew into Giotto's arms. It was so fast, Giotto fell back. Now lying down on Giotto's stomach, Tsuna suddenly felt safe. Yes. This man could protect him from anything.

Giotto could feel Tsuna's heartbeat, which went from really, _really_ fast to normal in record speed. Giotto laughed, causing the boy to blush furiously. "Sorry, sorry." he said as he set the boy down beside him. Tsuna, however, went directly back into Giotto's arms and held onto the front of his shirt. "Are you sure I should stay here, with you and everyone else. I don't want to be a burden to anyone else…"

"You were never a burden, Tsuna. There's no way I can refuse someone in need of help."

"You're a nice person. The people who were in my life before you have always been cold, so cold… but you're different. You feel… warm."

"Is that so?"

"Mmm-hmm. I'm glad… that I… yawn… met someone… like you…"

Giotto suddenly felt the tears in his eyes, but he kept it in. He held Tsuna in his arms, like he was something precious that could easily be broken. Neither of them saying anything; just enjoying the other's embrace. The thunder and lightning sounded outside again. Only this time, Tsuna wasn't scared anymore. _This man could protect me from anything,_ he thought.

They held onto each other tightly, until the two of them fell asleep together.

* * *

**Vongola Chat**

**VFW:** Wow, my hands are literally on fire from writing this chapter. So anyway -  
**SpadeTheTorturer:** So… have they burned off yet?  
**VFW:** Wait… what?**  
AsariLovesHisSword:** He asked if they burned off yet.  
**VFW:** I'm very well aware of what he asked Asari, thank you.  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** What the hell?  
**VFW:** Yes, Giotto. What the hell kinda question is that?  
**SpadeTheTorturer:** I just asked because I thought that if your hands burnt off, you wouldn't be able to write anymore of this unicorn shit.  
**VFW:** …! O.O  
**The Badass Loner:** …  
**CandyLover:** …  
**AsariLovesHisSword:** …  
**ExtremeDude1**: …  
**Sharpshooter:** Holy shit… I hate to say this Daemon but…  
**SpadeTheTorturer:** Hmm?  
**Sharpshooter:** …you are a genius!  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** Wow. You just made her shit list, Daemon.  
**VFW:** …  
**ExtremeDude1:** Um, are you alright?

VFW has just signed out of Vongola Chat

**CandyLover:** Better start runnin' Daemon  
**SpadeTheTorturer:** Yeah right like that'll ever happen… Holy

SpadeTheTorturer has just signed out of Vongola Chat

**AsariLovesHisSword:** Is he gonna be okay?  
**The Badass Loner:** Who cares?  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** I kinda wish I was there to see it…  
**CandyLover:** I had no idea you were a sadist Primo  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** … I regret nothing.  
**Sharpshooter:** Hmph, he was a lot worse when we were kids  
**AsariLovesHisSword:** Really?!  
**CandyLover:** Oh, please! Do share!  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** Don't you dare!

VFW has just logged in via mobile device

**The Badass Loner:** Hn, you're back.  
**ExtremeDude1:** May God bless his soul…  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** Spill all the details!  
**CandyLover:** Okay, now you're just plain creepy. But please, Writer-san, tell us.  
**VFW:** Let's just say he won't be able to walk or utter a single word for about a week.  
**AsariLovesHisSword:** *faints*

**Sharpshooter:** Haha, ouch…  
**ExtremeDude1:** *makes the sign of the cross*  
**CandyLover:** That's gonna leave a mark  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** Pure genius  
**The Badass Loner:** I'm starting to like you already  
**VFW:** Finally! Someone who hates that illusionist as much as I do! *high fives*  
**The Badass Loner:** *high fives back* This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** …  
**CandyLover:** Dear God, is the world ending already?  
**Sharpshooter:** But seriously, I had no idea he had a sense of humour  
**CandyLover:** Yeah, hahaha! Unicorn shit!  
**ExtremeDude1:** That was pretty funny  
**TheNumbuh1Boss:** Hahahaha!  
**AsariLovesHisSword:** *stifles laugh*  
**VFW:** …All of you suckers are next

TheNumbuh1Boss, AsariLovesHisSword, CandyLover, ExtremeDude1 and Sharpshooter have  
all signed out of Vongola Chat

**VFW:** What a bunch of scaredy-cats! Hahahaha!  
**The Badass Loner**: Now you see the kind of crap I have to go through on a daily basis  
**VFW:**I hear ya. Well then everyone, bye-bye! Oh, and please review!


End file.
